Crop ratings for French wheat and barley have fallen sharply, while farmers made little progress with sowing and harvesting, data from farm office FranceAgriMer showed Nov. 22, suggesting heavy rain was continuing to affect field conditions. An estimated 78 per cent of soft wheat, France’s main cereal crop, was rated good or excellent in the […] Read more
Pork prices in the city are jumping due to the African swine fever outbreak in China
Reuters – Hong Kong is looking into importing live pigs from countries in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, to supplement a dwindling supply from mainland China that has caused pork prices to surge, Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan said Nov. 20. The city had been importing 4,000 pigs a day from mainland China for slaughter […] Read more
The assurances come due to the country’s losses in its hog herd due to ASF
China, the world’s top pork consumer, will secure sufficient supplies of the meat for upcoming holidays, including the Lunar New Year in late January, said an official Sept. 10, as concerns grow over a looming shortage and soaring prices. China’s pig herd has shrunk by a third following a severe outbreak of deadly African swine […] Read more
South African swine has carved out a career as a commercially successful painter
Step aside Francis Bacon. Brandishing a paintbrush in her snout, Pigcasso enthusiastically tosses her head to create bright, bold strokes across a canvas propped up in her sty. The sow was rescued from an abattoir as a piglet and brought to an animal sanctuary in Franschhoek, in South Africa’s Western Cape region in 2016, where […] Read more
Despite government claims to the contrary, little progress in containing the disease is apparent
Reuters – China reported an outbreak of deadly African swine fever on a huge pig farm part owned by a Danish investment fund, showing the spread of the virus to modern industrial farms expected to have the best levels of disease prevention. The outbreak occurred on a farm in Suihua city with 73,000 pigs in […] Read more
Drought has effects that ripple through the supply chain
Manufacturers may start reducing wool content in clothing By Jonathan Barrett Yennora, Australia | Reuters Auctioneer Ian Sharp has been selling Australian agricultural products to the highest bidder since 1968, and he’s never seen demand like this before. Earlier this year, the benchmark price for fine Australian merino wool gained a foothold above the once […] Read more
Higher prices, growing demand have positively affected the balance sheet
Maple Leaf Foods posted a fourth-quarter profit Feb. 21 that beat estimates, due to better pricing and high demand for its prepared meats and plant-based protein foods. The company, one of Canada’s biggest pork processors, is focusing on expanding into new businesses in the United States. Its latest acquisition was the US$120-million purchase of vegan […] Read more
The Climate Prediction Center is just the latest in a list of international forecasters to make this observation
A U.S. government weather forecaster has added its voice to a growing chorus calling for La Niña conditions to continue through the winter. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC), an agency of the National Weather Service, in a monthly forecast pegged the chance of La Niña developing at about 65 per cent to 75 per cent […] Read more
Estonia-based ‘Click and Grow’ preview its latest ‘smart garden’ at the IFA tech fair in Berlin, a window box for the the modern age that grows vegetables and herbs automatically, as Matthew Stock reports for Reuters.
Reuters | France – French wine production may fall 17 per cent this year to a record low after spring frosts damaged vineyards, notably in the Bordeaux region. As Sonia Legg reports, the farm ministry fears the region could lose half its output.
